Thank you!

A big thank you to everyone who bought Girl Scout cookies! We sold out tonight at Safeway - every last box! The girls and the moms had fun.

Those Silly Leprechauns!

Look what they left for us! Ever since the kids started going to Little Cheeseman's Daycare, leprechauns have visited during the night of St. Patrick's Day. I'd never heard of this before! One year those pesky little fellows opened all my kitchen drawers and cupboards and knocked over some decorations. This year they left a trail of glitter and ribbons to the table where they laid out this nice spread. That is the nice thing about these guys - they make a mess but they always leave us a goody or two! This year the kids will have some Lucky Charms for breakfast, along with green milk. The leprechauns even got into the refrigerator!

We spent the weekend at Sun Mountain Lodge outside of Winthrop, WA. This is our family's favorite little retreat. The lodge offers a "local's special" price during the off seasons of late fall and early spring. We have gone once or twice a year for the last 5 years or so, and several times before that. Though we don't have snow down here in the valley, the snow was heavy up on the mountain so Dylan and Lyndsi were able to ski with several other families who were also there for the weekend. Steve did some reading, I took a couple of snow hikes with some bird savvy friends and we all played in the hot tub.

Our weekend was extra special because of the friends who shared the 3rd floor with us. As it turned out, 5 of the rooms on that floor were occupied by our good friends! It was truly difficult to leave on Sunday afternoon.

Steve and Lyndsi blazing their own trail on a hike.

We bought Dylan some used skis from the ski shop at the lodge. We got a great deal and Dylan was thrilled! I guess I'm the only Streeter who now needs skis - ugh! Don't know that I'm up for it!

We took a detour on our way home and happened upon some bald eagles and golden eagles lounging in the trees. It was amazing! I think we counted 17 eagles in the mile long stretch of road! The dots in the trees ahead of the kids are eagles. I was thrilled!

Have you seen my wall?

I love my wall! Our house has large, expansive walls that have been bugging me since we moved in. I can't figure out what to do with them! I've tried a couple of different colors and display options but none have made our house feel like our home. I think I've finally done something right....maybe.

Our entryway is home to one of those huge, empty walls. I wanted that wall to be welcoming and warming. I also wanted to use it as a place to hang our family photos. For quite a while I've been searching for matching frames to put our pictures in so that there would be a sense of continuity with the hodge podge of photos I'd chosen. Nothing was making me happy and I was thinking of changing my plan when it just hit me - BAM! - Who says the frames have to match? Duh!

No, I am not an interior decorator and one of the biggest challenges of owning our home has been making it look how I want it to look. I think I've done it with this wall. I covered the wall with my favorite photos, put up a welcoming saying and .... sigh ... I finally feel satisfied! I love to sit back and look at the wall and remember. I can't wait to see what photos go up in the future.

I've finally posted a couple of pictures of Lyndsi and the rest of the cast of the Princess and the Pea. Lyndsi is the Dust Bunny on the left. Aren't they cute!

Dust Bunnies!

It's Cold!

And we have a car with horrible traction tires - or I really should say no-traction tires! Let me preface with I am in Inver Grove Heights, MN looking out at the blowing winter storm that pounded us today. From the time we entered the funeral home for my grandmother's visitation and service to the time we left to go to the burial site it snowed about 2-3 inches. There was nothing on the ground before that! It was unreal! Our rental car is a horrible, horrible car for snow driving and I don't know why they rent these cars in February in Minnesota. Robyn and I rented it from the airport last night and the poor girl at the counter kept trying to get us to upgrade to a better car because of the storm coming in. We thought she just wanted our money!

We got stuck twice on the way to the cemetery and finally had to driven in. Then we spent about 20 minutes trying to get through a stoplight as people drove by us honking and swearing. Robyn and I took turns pushing and driving. I think we went about a foot every 3 minutes or so! It was a great experience!! Robyn finally got so fed up with rude people that she put our funeral processional flag back on top of the car - guess what? People started trying to help! Two little teenage girls got out and helped Robyn push while I tried to get the car rolling. Then 2 young men asked if we wanted them to try to pull us. THEN my cousin came back to see what happened to us and between he, his son, Robyn and the 2 young men I finally got through the light and up the hill. However, there was another stop and we started all over again. We were soaked and cold! But laughing......

The snow driving would have terrified Grandma but she would have enjoyed telling the story afterward. I had an amazing storytelling grandma and I realized today that she didn't limit her audiences to her grandchildren. Every person at her memorial reminisced about Grandmas stories and her treasures. I wish I could share all their stories here. I also wished I had brought my children. I know they would have remembered the stories that I may not. My grandma was a kind, compassionate, passionate and friendly woman who found fun in everything she did. She hula danced in Hawaii and played basketball in her 60's. She knew all the names of her old students as well as all the names of the plants and the birds she came across. She was the last charter member of the South St. Paul PEO group and was faithful to the Dakota County Historical Society (we made many trips to the museum when we visited!). And my grandma was the best grandma a kid could have. Her love of nature and of learning made every excursion and event a time to remember. I miss my grandma but know her influences abound here in Minnesota as well as in my own home, through me.

I fly to Seattle tomorrow and then to Wenatchee on Saturday.

By the way....

Lyndsi was a darling Dust Bunny and Dylan won his last basketball game! Woo hoo!

My dad is still exhausted and starting to feel down though he puts on a good show. Pray that this next method of cancer fighting helps him find relief from his worries and his fatigue.

The Princess and the Pea

It's Dust Bunny time! Lyndsi has been rehearsing all week and has her dress rehearsal tomorrow. Immediately following the dress rehearsal is the first performance. I think I'm more excited than she is! I haven't even seen her costume yet. All I know is that she needs to wear a low ponytail and dark, soft soled shoes.

Poor little thing, though very happy, is very exhausted! Good thing this is only one week long! She was asleep by 7:30 tonight! Last night, Steve, Dylan and I and Max drove to Wenatchee for a different kids' play. Lyndsi had to stay here for rehearsal so she stayed with Reily for the night. Apparently she was up at 2:00 am, crying to come home. She did finally fall asleep on her own but woke up earlier than normal this morning - yep, she's wiped!

Performances are at 3 and at 7 tomorrow for those of you who live in town - I'm thinking we are heading for ice cream after the 7:00 show - to celebrate Lyndsi's theater debut and Dylan's final basketball game. Join us if you want!

Some Sad News

My Grandma, Gladys Schumacher, passed away on Tuesday afternoon. I'm not sure of her exact age but I do know she was in her late 90's and would have been one year older on March 5th. Grandma has not been truly happy since my Grandpa died in 2000 and I feel a strange sense of joy at her passing. That joy comes from the knowledge that she is with Grandpa again. I guess I have a faith in our afterlives that I don't want to question.

I don't want to give the wrong impression by my use of the word joy. Of course I am mourning my loss and my father's loss and my family's loss. Memories keep invading my days and I do find myself teary-eyed on occasion. I had the best grandparents a child could ever ask for. Along with my memories, I also have several treasures which have become more special this week and many of them are decorating my home and have influenced my classroom style. So, my memories are triggered constantly.

However, along with those memories comes a strong image of a younger Grandma and Grandpa reuniting after a long separation. My Grandpa is smiling with arms open wide, and my Grandma is crying (she did that a lot!) tears of joy. In the background are relatives who have passed before.

I'll be flying to South St. Paul to attend Grandma's service next week.

June 2008

Dust Bunnies

I never thought I'd be so happy to have a dust bunny in the house! I guess I never considered the fact that Lyndsi could be a dust bunny. Hmmm... OK - let me explain! Lyndsi was in her first audition today. She auditioned for a part in the play, The Princess and the Pea. This isn't your traditional story about the princess who sleeps on mattresses covering a small pea. Apparently there are several dust bunnies and leprechauns in this story! And Lyndsi got the part of a Dust Bunny! When discussing this part with me she said, "Mom, you'll just have to blow me away!"

No rehearsal tomorrow but Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be full days for our family! The good news is that the performances are Saturday at 3 and at 7. Perfect! The Missoula Children's Theater is putting on this performance with the local kiddos. Though the timeline is short, the whole production is the real deal! The company brings all the props and costumes. They are incredibly organized and had 50 kids auditioning all at one time without problems. After an hour they had assigned all the parts and distributed scripts. I was thoroughly impressed and recommend it to all young actors. Though I may change my recommendation by the end of this week!

Look for another post tomorrow. Too late to write anything more now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A little early but I might not have access to an internet connection tomorrow. We'll be in Spokane visiting Steve's mom and my parents for the weekend. Haven't been there since Christmas!

Speaking of my parents...

My dad is home from the hospital. His recovery will still take 6 months to a year to be complete but at least he is resting at home. Yes - 6 months minimum! The doctors were able to identify the bacteria causing so much trouble as Nocardia. Apparently this little bugger is found in dirt and we are exposed to it on a regular basis. Normally, our bodies get rid of it without any problem but with a weakened immune system, which my dad has due to his cancer treatments, it can cause infection. This one happened to be in my dad's respiratory system, causing pneumonia.

Wow! So, dad sleeps a lot and takes heavy doses of a specific antibiotic, giving his body time to recover. Your prayers and positive thoughts were heard. Thank you!

Twigs

I think we are going to take the kids to Twigs in Spokane for Valentine's Dinner tomorrow night. They have a fabulous gluten free menu, the best bartender in town and a fun but classy atmosphere. The kids have wanted to go to dinner at Twigs since Erin started working there. I hope they are rested so they can be excited about their surprise!

Happy Valentine's Day!